The Legend of Korra-Chapter One through Chapter Five
by PersephonePandora23
Summary: A stranger proclaims that the naturalistic balance of the Avatar has been disturbed as has the reincarnation cycle of the Avatar. Thus spawns the question...who is Korra really? What is she really? Is this stranger the true Avatar?
1. Chapter 1- Imbalanced

**The Legend of Korra: Imbalanced (Chapter 1: Part 1)**

_ The naturalistic balance within the Avatar has been severed, as has the Avatar cycle. Who is Korra really? _

_(Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to any of the characters from Nickelodeon's animated show The Legend of Korra.)_

_Setting: A year after the events of Nickelodeon's The Legend of Korra Book 1: Air._

* * *

Tenzin cradled the limp body in his arms. The trembling form latched its blistered hands onto his robes; Skin dangled

precariously from the visible muscle as the fragrant scent of scorched flesh lingered on the bitter wind. Red, pallid sores

protruded from beneath the remaining translucent layer of skin, threatening to burst and relieve itself of the milky puss

that swirled in it s confining walls. The fingers numbly grasped and weaved themselves more earnestly in the deeper folds

of Tenzin's garment. The body trembled as wind's gusts licked at its open sores and vulnerable skin. Though the violence of

the wind made itself known, the burnt figure remained clinging to Tenzin's rigid frame.

With the body's every feeble movement, fragments of scorched flesh chip away and become wedged in Tenzin's robe's

fabric. Yet he did not make an effort to cease the weak spasms and the frequent grasps to his person. His eyes remained

plastered to the frozen landscape, staring at an unseen vantage point. Though try as he may, the burnt body's stench

invaded his nostrils and forced its presence upon his conscious thoughts. Blinking violently, Tenzin tore his eyes from the

dunes of snow and glanced hesitantly in his arms. The usual statuesque mask fell away from his face as his eyes regained

familiarity with what he carried.

He swallowed dryly, unable to motivate himself to speak. Without a cautionary thought, his arms clenched tighter to his

load, securing it to his chest. An involuntary, frantic whimper erupted from the dangling body as burnt flesh and fabric

suddenly meshed together. With an apologetic stare, Tenzin slackened his grip as eyes lingered on the scared face. Folds of

skin had warped and twisted into unnatural patterns from the lingering signature of fire's touch. Angry red patches of flesh

swelled around the eyes and mouth. Shallow gasps of air whistled weakly past the cracked lips. The mouth twitched but

could not will itself to open anymore. The small gap between the two plump swollen lips served as its air passage. Though

the jaw was no longer firmly secured and awkwardly hung limply from its rightful position, the corners of the mouth

quivered. The chest rose and fell at a melodious pace and Tenzin found himself falling into step with its lethargic rhythm.

Divorcing his eyes from the mutilated figure, he looked up at the fading horizon; the hazy silhouette of the gates of the

Southern Water Tribe greeted him; regrettably his heart fell at the sight.


	2. Chapter 2-The Victim

Katara rubbed her hands together silently. Her eyes remained transfixed on the twisted, burnt carcass before her. At first assumption the form appeared as a corpse; void of any living spirit. Yet the careful whispers that slithered past the blackened, ripe lips affirmed a lingering life. Tenzin had momentarily disposed the wilting body onto her cot from his arduous trek through the frozen tundra of the South Pole. Though, she had to gingerly coax his fingers from their desperate cling to the body. Katara sighed heavily as she hovered her hand above the charcoaled forehead of the badly burned figure. Her withered eyes fluttered close, painfully recognizing a distinguishable feature beneath the several folds of burnt flesh.

"Who is it?" she whispered fearfully.

Tenzin, stirred by his mother's sudden voice, lifted his head from his blemished hands. He glanced down at the emaciated figure on the cot and sighed heavily.

"_." Tenzin pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed hoarsely through clenched teeth. "He was a guard at the Air Temple in Republic City. He somehow managed to evade Amon,"

Katara broke her studious gaze at her patient to look at her youngest son. Her face softened from its hardened severity of concentrated focus and determination. She slowly made her way to Tenzin. Cupping her hand beneath his chin, Katara lifted his face upwards to hers.

"He had only escaped one danger to be the victim of another." Tenzin muttered angrily.


	3. Chapter 3-Attack in the Avatar State

Korra resigned herself in the farthest corner on Oogi's saddle. A thin layer of ice from the wind's frigid touch had begun to cling to the leather though the massive flying bison had only departed from the ground only moments ago. The icy wind sliced at Korra's bare hands and nibbled at her fingertips, but she did not withdraw them into the fur lining of her coat. She curled into a ball, digging her chin firmly into her knees. Korra's eyes remained concentrated on the bleak, ominous shapes of the frozen tundra. The large shadowy shapes were disguised by the howling gusts of wind carrying fragmented pieces of snow and ice. Bits of frozen debris strikes at her face, provoking her tender, worn skin to bleed but Korra remained motionless through the assault. Her eyes are brimmed red as her stubbornness forbids the onslaught of tears. Though she remained rigidly still, her hands, flushing an ugly hue of purplish blue, trembled uncontrollably.

Lin Beifong sat across from the young Avatar. Bare of her usual uniform, she was clothed obnoxiously with Southern Water tribe attire. Several scarves coiled tirelessly around her thick neck, and warm fur gloves graced her hands, though she had cut holes at their fingertips, all welcoming gifts that the tribe had hurled upon her months ago. Though at that time, she was indifferent about the gifts, she now savored their warmth in this unfamiliar environment. Lin Beifong pulled the natively spun scarves tighter, as if in attempt to strangle herself before the cold weather could drain her of the little body heat she had remaining. Her eyes cautiously surveyed Korra. Every slight movement Korra would make, Lin's eyes would narrow and her glare would harden. The only sound that accompanied the whistling, artic wind was Pema's sobs. Her body shook as each whimper of grief rattled through her. Her hands weakly steered the flying bison through the course of the raging wind. Lin's eyes flickered to Pema.

The visible hardness in her face softened and the tightness of her jaw slackened as she observed Tenzin's wife. Pema's back faced her, but she occasionally tilted her head to bury her running nose into her coat. Glancing over her shoulder, Pema's eyes rested on Korra's defeated figure and she quickly turned back to direct Oogi's movements. Lin sighed heavily.

"Pema, please. We need to get back before Tenzin."

She attempted to speak softly, but her voice hitched in an urgent tone. Though the wind whips angrily at her ears, the unmistakable echo of Tenzin's cautious voice buzzed anxiously in her mind.

_You must reach the Southern Water tribe before me. ….I will carry him. I don't believe he would survive if I airbended…..the wounds are too severe…._

_What will we say? _

_Nothing. Go straight to Katara. No one must see Korra or you or Pema. Be careful. Please, Lin….please go. _

Lin swallowed dryly as Pema's shoulders shook harder. Pema did not respond to Lin's command; she continued to sob wordlessly. With the stoic words of Tenzin's pulsing in her mind, Lin's fists tightened.

_Please, Lin….please go._

Lin closed her eyes briefly against the biting wind. Suddenly she could feel the warm pressure of Tenzin's hand clamping around her wrist in desperation. She could feel the anxiety burning through his touch. And suddenly she could feel the familiar yet so foreign feeling of Tenzin's arms wrap around her. She could feel his hot breath tickle her ear as he spoke with a broken voice:

_Please, Lin….please go. Take care of them. Please._

Lin's eyes snapped open from the flitting moment of memories. She breathed deeply. Sighing irritably in frustration, Lin stood swiftly. Pushing Tenzin's voice aside, Lin steadied herself on the rocking saddle of Oogi's saddle. With a sudden movement, she released a metallic cord from beneath the bulky folds of her coat and nicked the massive hide of the flying bison. It bayed loudly at the unjust treatment but quickened its pace. Pema turned around and faced Lin with a bewildered look. Her nose was red from the cold and her cheeks were flushed to a rosy scarlet.

"How dare—!"

"We need to get to the Southern Water tribe before Tenzin!" Lin yelled over the howling winds. Though try as it may, the hissing gusts could not silence the echoing whispers of Tenzin's plea in Lin's mind. Lin clenched and unclenched her fists. "Do you not understand that?!"

Pema's small lips pursed angrily as she glared at Lin. Behind the two, Korra buried herself deeper into her knees. She clenched her eyes as a melodic hum presents itself in her mind again. As the older women on Oogi's saddle stand off in a heated glare, Korra gritted her teeth against the probing painful annoyance of the melodic hum in her head. Her fingers dug viciously in her arm in a feeble attempt to bring her away from the taunting sound to the painful reality of her nails severing her flesh. Lin continued to yell over the aggressive winds at Pema's slow speed. Finally, Pema released her hoard of vicious words from her pursed lips.

"That gives you no right to treat Oogi like that!" Pema screamed, her tone growing cold. Her face brightened with anger with each word. "I know the urgency! I saw it! I saw the whole thing!"

Tears cascaded down her flushed cheeks. Her hair whipped around her face, free of the familiar bun she usually secured it in. She made no efforts to fix it ;It flew madly about the smooth and round curves of her face, restlessly tousled by the angry blasts of air. Her small frame shook angrily as her knuckles paled from their intense grip on Oogi's reigns. Pema stared hatefully at Lin, who now loomed over her; a vision of a strong metal bender.

"You saw it! You saw it all happen! I cannot pretend I didn't see it! Perhaps you can, but I cannot." she shouted.

The flying bison veered suddenly, causing Lin to lose momentary balance. Clutching onto the edge of the saddle, Lin held on tightly. Shielding her eyes with her free hand, she caught a brief glance of the seething Pema in the snowy winds. Straightening herself, Lin kneeled awkwardly at eye-level with the furious small woman. Her hand hesitantly rested on the trembling shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. Tenzin's voice buzzed endlessly in her mind. Lin swallowed dryly as she focused her gaze at the woman who had taken the warm touch and tender voice from her forever. All she could hope for was that his desperate plea rang as an immortal echo in her mind. Breaking her gaze from the scarlet face of Pema, Lin looked awkwardly at Pema's fidgeting hands.

"Our best chance is to get there as soon as possible. We need to get Korra to Katara. I am just as frightened as you are. I cannot even pretend that I am not." Lin stated flatly, her eyes avoiding Pema's softening gaze.

Pema's lip quivered, suddenly she bowed her head and buried it in Lin's shoulder. More wails erupted from her throat and her tears soaked Lin's frozen coat. She tore herself from directing Oogi and she clutched onto Lin in desperation. Suddenly Korra yelled fiercely causing Pema to jump away from Lin. The humming had escalated in Korra's mind and now sent vibrating tremors that stabbed at her skull and tore at every fiber of her mind. Lin stood quickly, forgetting all precaution of keeping balance. She shoved Pema protectively behind her.

"Not again…." Pema whimpered. "Please….no."


	4. Chapter 4- Attack in the Avatar State 2

Korra's hands flung upwards and clutched her throbbing head. Scream after scream ripped through her lungs and spewed past her chattering teeth. A thin trail of blood trickled from her flushed nose and edged its way down her face.

"Get Oogi moving now!" Lin ordered. Swiftly, she released two of her metallic cords and secured the writhing Avatar. Pema remained horror stricken as Korra screeched horribly, challenging the wind's fearsome roar. Lin turned back to Pema, her eyes wild.

"PEMA!"

Shaken from her daze, Pema smacked the reigns violently, her delicate wrists cracking as loudly as the ropes.

"YIP YIP!" she screamed, her voice breaking into hysteric tears. The flying bison groaned but pushed itself further to its destination more quickly.

Korra struggled against her restraints. Her arms pushed against the tightening hold of Lin's metallic cords. The searing inferno in her mind continued to grow larger, and with each scream Korra felt it penetrate further into her skull. Korra wriggled endlessly; the cords dug fiercely into her clothes, ripping the several layers of fabric. Lin squeezed the binds harder. Her jaw tightened as she attempted to stabilize her footing on the icy saddle. Yet Korra began to slowly lift her arms, refusing the metal bender's defenses. Korra thrashed about, her voice echoing against the cries of the frozen tundra. Her eyes opened sharply; their blue image of tranquility was gone, the glowed hauntingly. The Avatar State consumed her rapidly. Lin eyes widened in horror as the wind around them turned from its natural course and circled madly around Korra. It lashed at the metal cords with unnatural gusts of wind, splitting the several metallic cords in two. Lin fell backwards, stunned. She fell onto an unsuspecting Pema, who jerked at the reigns in horror. Oogi bayed loudly causing the mountains of snow to tremble around them. Pem grasped madly at the reins, trying to regain control. Lin cluthed to the side of Oogi's saddle.

The flying bison dove lower into the barren valley of white. Pema tugged at the reins, but the unnatural winds pushed against Oogi. It turned desperately to the opposite direction, driven into a panic.

"PEMA!" Lin yelled.

Pema wrapped the leathery reigns around her hands and pulled ferociously. The muscles that strung around her guant frame, tensed and bulged from her arms.

"I'm trying!" Pema hissed through gritted teeth. The straps of leather chaffed her mannerly hands that were coaxed by years of domestic privilege. She moaned in pain but did not falter in her grasp on the reins. Lin shakily stood upwards and fell immediately into her defensive stance, her eyes dark and alert to every movement from Korra.

The previous screams died immediately in Korra's throat, silenced by the Avatar state. The wind lifted her from her seat and supported her hovering body. Her blank stare found Lin and a cowering Pema. Korra continued to stare wordlessly at the two; her expression blank and disconnected from humanity.

"Korra! Please. Stop this! We are your friends!" Pema begged, her eyes glistening from new found tears. Korra did not reply.

"Korra! Listen to me. You must snap out of this, I don't want to fight you…I don't want to hurt you!" Lin warned, her jaw set. Staring warily at the floating Avatar, she could hear Tenzin's whisper escalate to a screaming reminder in her ears. Closing her eyes for a moment, the conclusion became clear and Lin released her fury against the young Avatar without warning.

_Please….Lin. Keep them safe…no matter what…_

Korra deflected Lin's offensive maneuvers with ease.

"I am the Avatar." She said stiffly. Her voice spoke with the dry vocal accompaniment of all past Avatars. Without any anticipation, Korra raised her hand in a horrific display of graceful ease and metal bended the cords that were concealed underneath Lin's coats. The metal cords began to wist and knot together. Lin yelled in surprise as her uniform became a mangled metallic organism. It began to warp and wail metallic sounds of unrecognizable anguish. The sound attacked the ears relentlessly, and Pema grimaced in pain. Korra clenched her fist and the armor began to constrict itself around the flesh beneath it. Lin gasped as the air within her was savagely torn from her lungs and forced past her ashen lips.

"Please Korra! Stop it! STOP!" Pema wailed.

Lin's eyes bulged from her angular face as her own metal cords constricted her. She struggled to speak. Her hands twitched at her side. With a frantic hiccup, Lin summoned what remained:

"K—korra…." She whispered.

Her mouth slackened as did her body. Shallow breathes flowed past her mouth as her eyelids fluttered, desperately attempting to fight a battle of consciousness.

"P…please…"

"KORRA!" Pema yelled wildly. "STOP!"

Pema looked on in horror as the Avatar continued to suffocate Lin. Abandoning her iron grip on Oogi's reigns, Pema flung herself towards a tattered knap sack at Lin's feet. Lin suddenly dropped to her knees, her face turning an unnatural bluish shade. Pema fumbled with the tattered bag at Lin's feet. Korra paid no mind to Pema's shaky actions.

"You. Cannot hurt me." Korra spoke softly, yet her thunderous voice could be heard above the roar of the wind.

Suddenly Pema withdrew a rusted Equalist hand glove and lunges across between Lin and Korra. Before Korra can react properly, Pema's hand angrily collides with her body. Waves of electricity surge through her. Lin dropped to her hands and knees as her metal cords release their deadly grip. She gasped madly for air to resume its course in her lungs. Pema huddled close to Lin, flinging the glowing glove over Oogi's saddle. She stared at her own hands terrified at her deed. Korra laid in a heap of scorched clothes, unconscious and silent.

Pema wept silently into Lin's shoulder. Lin watched the slow rise and fall of Korra's chest. Her hands could not help but shake at the deceptive peacefulness that resided in Korra's features. She swallowed thickly and gazed in the direction of their destination.


	5. Chapter 5-Unconscious

_The voices swam madly through her thoughts; where there origin lay, Korra was uncertain. She could not function correctly, as her limbs felt disconnected and feeble from their usual sturdiness. Korra moaned meekly. The sound echoed a terrifying incoherent noise back to her ears; it sounded so foreign, so unlike her own voice. She could not breathe properly, the air in her lungs felt odd as if oxygen was now replaced with a poisonous gas. Korra moaned again, her voice now joining the multitude of mysterious echoes and chants racking against her mind. _

Katara turned to the unconscious Korra. Her eyes lit with alarm as the moans had began to slither past Korra's cracked lips. Tenzin, stood warily by her side; his shoulders hunched in a defeated position of defiance to the young avatar's condition. Katara shuffled to where Korra lay. She pulled down the several layers of sheets that had wound Korra into a tightly secured cocoon. Katara's hands nimbly position themselves as her habitual healing routine began its course. Without looking back at the aloof Tenzin, Katara addressed him in a cautionary whisper.

"You should speak more softly, Tenzin."

Katara's hands fell back from their hovering location above the young Avatar's heart, and repositioned the quilts. Tenzin turned his head sharply from his mother, unable to gaze in any direction. Guilt ate at his core, and he struggled to maintain distant from the situation.

"There is no need to, Mother." Tenzin said sternly. "Training Korra in secret was obviously a mistake in the beginning."

Katara shook her head, causing the gray locks to swish in the light breeze that whistled through the cracks of the sheltering walls.

"She asked for the training, Tenzin. And as the Avatar, she needs it."

Katara gazed back to the slumbering Avatar. Korra twitched involuntary at the mercy of some unknown nightmarish thought or dream. Katara hesitantly raised a withered hand and gingerly tucked a strand of hair from Korra's flushed face.

"The Avatar state…isn't an easy task." She whispered.

"I should have said no. I should have listened to—"

Tenzin's voice broke off abruptly. He clamped his jaw tightly and forbid his tongue to release her name into the open. Katara inhaled deeply, immediately sensing the anguish in Tenzin's voice.

"Lin will be fine, Tenzin. She has suffered far less than your guard. He is the one that needs the most worry." Katara whispered; her eyes flickered to her right, where in another room the twisted blackened, living corpse clung desperately from life's fleeing embrace.

Tenzin swallowed dryly, still unable to look his mother in the eyes.

"I can never forgive myself. If Pema…"

"But she didn't. Pema is well, frightened but well." Katara interrupted, slowly advancing towards her despairing son.

"…What you need to do is to forgive Korra."

"_Where am I?"_

_Korra's own voice echoed endlessly in the dark; roaming for any existent ear. Instead of a responding voice, a soft melodious string of music arose from the abyss that surrounded the lost Avatar. Korra's heart pounded madly within its confining walls of her chest. The music escalated into a more frantic hum of jumbled notes and screeching noises. It grew louder and louder until the hum seemed to be part of her own being._

"_No! Stop it! STOP!"_

_Korra could feel herself scream desperately, yet the taunting caresses of the approaching familiarity of the Avatar State continued its advance. _

"_Please! STOP!"_

_The hum danced madly in her mind, disorganizing her thoughts, spreading its parasitic melody to the furthest corner in her skull. The hum died into a tremendous chorus of the past voices of all the Avatars, gathering into a parade of awfully great power. _

"_STOP!" _

"_Korra?"_

_The hum died immediately as did the thousands of chants that had taken up its song in a horrifically beautiful chorus. Korra turned to the sound of the new voice. It was alone. It was Aang._

"_Korra?"_

_Suddenly Korra found her feet…she could feel the blood circulating within her limbs. Suddenly she was running, her feet echoing on an unseen floor that screamed every movement she made. Pumping her arms madly, Korra continued towards the voice. _

"_Korra?"_

"_I'm here! I'M HERE!"_

Katara rested a hand on Korra's forehead. Her brow furrowed at the sudden increase of her body heat. She turned to Tenzin, the apparent worry so very evident that Tenzin turned away angrily in disgust. Seizing his coat, he threw his arms into its sleeves and abandoned the scene, his mind blinded with worry and displaced rage. Katara's eyes followed him; the crinkled, worn eyes grew watery as her heart sank. She gazed back down at the trembling Avatar.

"Please, come back to us, Korra."


	6. Chapter 6-Unconscious 2

_Korra continued to chase madly behind Aang's fading voice. She pumped her arms faster as her feet flew over the ground. Sweat coursed down her face and neck as she frantically plunged herself deeper and deeper into the darkness. The air in her lungs turned dry and she felt her chest constrict painfully as each breath she drew scratched against her throat. _

"_Korra? Korra?"_

_Her lungs felt inflamed and her heart threw itself against her ribs. She gasped desperately, feeling the once urgent pulse of adrenaline die slowly within her. _

"_Aang—Aa-ang…" The words stumbled awkwardly from her lips. She felt the sound of her voice choke and fade. Her legs trembled beneath her weight. She stretched her arm towards the voice, grasping blindly for an unseen figure. _

"_Aang—Aang please…please don't leave me."_

"_Korra? Korra?" The voice grew more distant and distant until it evaporated into a sigh. Korra slowed her pace until her legs surrendered their will to stand, and she collapsed onto the ground. Panting, Korra struggled to sit up. She wiped away the strands of hair that were plastered to her drenched brow. Air resumed its cyclical nature in her lungs. She breathed slowly as the frantic galloping of her heart resumed its normal gait, though terror and worry seized it. _

"_Aang!" she croaked. Her weak yell bounded endlessly into the obscure void. The darkness consumed her broken cry greedily. There was no answer._

"_Don't leave me here! Aang!"_

_Silence settled around her. Korra staggered upwards, her body resistant to her own will. She blindly looked around the shadowy realm she now inhibited. Tears whelped in her eyes. _

"_Aang…please…" _

_Her lips trembled as the soft sounds slithered past her parched lips. _

"_Please…please don't leave me here alone…please."_

_Suddenly cruel laughter erupted from behind her. Korra spun around hastily. She wiped her face aggressively with her sleeve; no evidence of her tears remained except from the prudent redness of her eyes. _

"_Who-who's there?" she demanded._

_The taunting sound echoed around her. No audible response was given; only the mechanical grind of mocking chortles rang fervently in her ears. The laughter escalated to a higher level of cruel madness. Its shriveled high octaves hitched drastically on an unbearable tune. The noise tore at Korra's ears and bore its wild harmony deep into her mind. The fanatical laughter coursed eagerly through her mind, tearing at her thoughts in a blissful rabid frenzy. The sounds of the spiteful laughter echoed endlessly until the octaves molded themselves into a feverish scream of painful hilarity. Though her fingers yearned to shelter her aching ears, Korra remained rigid. Her hands clenched at her side and her jaw grew tight. _

_ "WHO—!"_

_Korra's demand was silenced by an abrupt thunderous roar. The laughter continued as a faded melody beneath the new audible calamity to Korra's ears. The ground beneath her feet shifted and crumbled. Korra's feet parted with the familiar surface of the earth. She felt herself slipping into an unknown crevasse. Screams leapt from her lips as she tried frantically to stay surfaced. The mounds of unseen Earth did not respond to her bending. The ground continued to split. Korra fell deeper into the gaping hole, screaming madly for Aang. Her limbs flailed madly, attempting to grasp for any edge of some sort. Korra felt a strange weight pull her deeper into the belly of the crevasse. She screamed hopelessly as she fell deeper into an unknown darkness with the horrific laughter ringing in her ears. _

Katara fumbled to secure Korra's body; she continued to thrash and cry out endlessly. Her body spasmed and jerked benath the fragile arms of the aged waterbender.


	7. Chapter 7-Tenzin's Guilt

Tenzin crossed his arms firmly across his chest and leaned over the wooden railing. His eyes traced the outline of the frozen horizon that stretched before him. He did not hear Pema approach him. He did not move as her arms timidly wrapped around his middle. Nor did he respond as she whispered in his ear.

"I'm fine…Tenzin. I'm fine."

Tenzin remained motionless; his eyes remained fixed on the distant slopes of snow. Pema's warm breath tickled his flushed cheeks and her hair brushed against his numbing skin. She nestled closer to him, but he did not open himself to her. He spoke not to her but to the mountains cloaked in the shadowy distance.

"It is my fault that Lin is hurt."

A sharp cry erupted from inside Katara's hut and broke Pema and Tenzin apart.

"TENZIN!"


	8. Chapter 8

_The pounding in Korra's head stirred her awake. Slowly her eyelids fluttered open. Above her, dim beams of sunlight trickled down from a canopy. The thin rays of light shined directly in her eyes and Korra shielded her face with a trembling hand. _

"_Get up, Korra. Quickly." A voice demanded. The voice bounced around the trees surrounding where she lay. _

_With a painful groan, Korra forced herself to turn on her side. She braced herself on her hands, her fingers digging deep into the moist earth. Her knees sunk into the wetness of the ground and she found herself slipping. _

"_Get up. Hurry."_

"_Aang?"_

_Korra's heart swelled with sheer happiness. Aang loomed above her. His figure was hazy and outlined with a faint glow. His eyes stared cautiously ahead and flickered back to her. Korra's face fell as she studied the concern etched deeply in Aang's features._

"_Aang…what's wrong?"_

"_It's not safe for you here, Korra."_

"_What—Where is here?"_

_Aang's figure dimmed and his face darkened._

"_The Spirit World."_

_Before a word could leave her tongue, Aang began to walk away. He took long gracefully strides, his angelic shadow floating above the marshy earth. Korra stumbled behind him, barreling through the forest's undergrowth. Her clothes clung to her skin as sweat poured down her face, neck and back. The humidity wrapped itself around her and she felt as if she could not breathe. _

"_What…What do you mean that it's not safe for me here!?" She panted. "I'm—I'm the Avatar….Katara…Tenzin…said I'm the link…the bridge between this world and…"_

"_I don't fully understand myself Korra. Something isn't right…You need to get back now…"_

"_Aang…what's…what's happening with me? Ever…Ever since I got my bending back…when I go into the Avatar State…it….it isn't right. Bad things happen."_

_Aang did not reply but continued to plow through the murkiness of the swamp. The hiss of crickets filled in the temporary silence between them. Korra's steps quickened as the forest became more alive. Sounds erupted from either side of them. A chorus of roars and voices rang in the air at once. The canopy above them trembled as shadowy beasts swung from the branches of the trees. _

_Aang stopped abruptly and turned on his heel to face the young Avatar. His eyes wandered around them, flickering from Korra's face to the dark shadows surrounding them._

"_I don't yet understand it Korra. But I need you to leave this place now. "_

"_But Aang…."_

"_Everything will be fine, Korra." _

"_But Aang…I hurt...I've hurt people…Aang I don't understand what's wrong…"_

_Before Korra could finish, she felt the cold clammy touch of Aang's hand on the slope of her forehead. His thumb pressed firmly against her skull and Korra felt herself slip out of consciousness and the swampy world of the Spirit World melt away around her. _


	9. Chapter 9

"She's stopped." Katara sighed in relief. Turning to her youngest son, she wrung her hands in the hem of her skirt. A tired smile stretched across her face. Tenzin did not return his mother's weak grin, but sat across from the slumbering young Avatar. He glared at the reclined figure wrapped in blankets, and his jaw clenched.

"Mother….it was my fault. I should have never pushed Korra to practice…to try the Avatar State."

Katara shuffled to Korra's side and tightened the blankets around her.

"She wanted to, Tenzin. She needs to learn how to access the Avatar State."

"It may have been too soon."


	10. Chapter 10

Moaning in anguish and with a feverish cry, Korra awakened violently. She snapped upwards from the cot, a thin layer of sweat basking on her skin. Breathing heavily, she clutched her sheets; her hands shook as they clung to the sweat-drenched fabric. _The wind. The storm…training…Tenzin…Lin….Pema_. The mangled thoughts probed annoyingly at her foggy memory. Rubbing her forehead tenderly, Korra exhaled shakily.

"What…what happened?"

'You lost it." A low voice replied. Korra stiffened, her senses unusually heightened. Her speaker shifted in its recluse corner in the shadows. She closed her eyes in shame, awaiting retribution, a lecture, a judgment, an explanation, anything. The silence gnawed at her as did the overpowering presence.

"I thought you were in Republic City."  
"I was. I came back once I found out what happened." The voice replied flatly. Korra gazed in the vocal direction, her eyes filled with tears.

"How long have I been out?"  
"Five days." The voice said simply. "Lin woke up a few days ago."

A chair scrapped against the floor as Korra's visitor stood and catiously approached her beside. Korra turned her face so that she may not see him. A warm hand slid its way underneath her tucked chin and forced her head upwards. Korra swallowed dryly unable to speak.

"What's going on , Korra?" Mako demanded.


End file.
